Burton council moves to closed session for contract talks; 9‑1‑1 discussion prompts defense of fire chief

During administrative reports Attorney Josh Ledford asked the council to convene a closed session under section 8(c) of the Open Meetings Act for contract negotiations and strategy. "Attorney Josh Ledford is here, is requesting a closed session under 8 c, the Open Meetings Act, or contract negotiations slash strategy," he said; Councilman Heffner moved for the closed session, supported by Councilman Wines, and the motion carried on roll call (one recorded 'No').

Following that procedural action, the council received a committee update about the 9-1-1 center’s move and lease status. The report indicated the 9-1-1 operation is moving locations and that a potential outside buyer may trigger the consortium’s right of first refusal; no purchase was finalized and the matter remains under discussion.

A substantive exchange followed in which council leadership pushed back on comments made at a prior meeting that had attributed certain 9-1-1 dispatch changes to the city’s fire chief. In the transcript Attorney Josh Ledford said the chief "has no authority with 9 1 1 to make any type of changes" and asked colleagues to make clear the chief was not responsible for consortium-level decisions. Other speakers referenced individuals identified in the earlier discussion as "Bennett" and a name transcribed variously as "Kalachak" or "Karlychuk." The transcript contains inconsistent spelling for those names.

No formal change to 9-1-1 protocols or staffing was adopted in open session; the defense was an admonition to avoid attributing consortium actions to local personnel. The council subsequently returned from closed session and opened audience participation (no public comments were offered). The meeting record shows follow-up and potential further discussion of the 9-1-1 lease/right-of-first-refusal issue at a future meeting.